Portland owner calls 911 over crazed cat

Portland, Ore. -- (KGW) A 22-pound house cat scared a Portland, Oregon family into calling 911 for help Sunday.

The family called 911 at 7:55 p.m., telling dispatchers the huge cat named Lux attacked their baby and then forced them to flee into a bedroom, where they remained holed up inside.

The baby was not injured but the 911 operator could hear Lux screeching in the background.

"I kicked him in the rear and he just went off, over the edge," the caller told the 911 dispatcher. "We are not safe around the cat. We're trapped in the bedroom. He won't let us out of the door."

When officers arrived, the man, who sounded slightly shaken, told the dispatcher he was reluctant to let the police in because, "If I leave the bedroom, I'm going to have to fight the cat. Tell them to be careful, the police."

Police managed to apprehend the suspect with cleverness, instead of sheer force.

“They saw the black-and-white Himalayan dart into the kitchen, attempting to flee custody,” said Sgt. Pete Simpson with the Portland Police Bureau. “Officers were able to outwit the high-strung Himalayan, who climbed on to the top of the refrigerator, and get a snare around the cat and safely get the cat behind bars in its crate.”

The mother, Teresa Barker, said with a new baby in their lives, perhaps it's time to find another home for the cat.